After 30 days of inpatient treatment, through the advice of my counselors, I then attended 90 recovery meetings in 90 consecutive days.
Just as one would seek shelter during a tornado, many of these recovery meetings took place in the basement of different churches around Nashville. In March of 2022, I sat down with my friends and fellow songwriters Michael Farren and Tony Wood to write what is now ‘The Basement.’
Ed Leonard, president of Daywind Records, shares his thoughts, “This song captures the miraculous way that God works in recovery programs around the world. An addict’s journey to recovery is painful, emotional, lonely, and hard. It is usually riddled with setbacks and shortfalls. Many don’t survive. The best chance for survival is to seek the help of professionals in a place filled with people who are struggling just like you. Take things one day at a time, sheltered in these safe spaces, and allow God to take control and work in your life. Joseph followed this path and works each day to stay sober. Daywind made the decision without hesitation to support Joseph and his solo ministry from the beginning. We knew his character. He had a support system with his program. He had accountability and support through his incredible wife, Lindsay. But most of all, Joseph has the Master Physician in his life. The people encouraged through his testimony, both addicts themselves and the large and growing population of people whose lives have been affected by addicts, number in the hundreds of thousands. We are so proud of Joseph and will continue to support him and those who struggle with or are affected by addiction, one day at a time.”
https://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/news/2023/05/23.JosephHabedankReleasesNewSingleTheBasementMay25th.asp
Listen to Joseph Habedank shares what Jesus did for him and his journey to recovery from drug addiction.
Eight years ago, I was a prescription drug addict. My life was in ruins. I was wasting my talent. I was a liar. I was a con artist, but the grace of Jesus did a miracle in my life. And now I travel all over the country and I tell my story everywhere…over and over and over again I still tell my story because you never know who’s going to be in the audience. Somebody out there may need to hear the Truth that the grace of Jesus, it really is amazing and what it’s done in my life.
When the lights go down Joseph Habedank. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hF24EI2oYk.
I’m getting ready to celebrate my 10 years of sobriety. A lot of you know my story, but for those of you who don’t, I was a prescription drug addict and Jesus set me free back in 2013. I was raised in a church atmosphere where rehab wasn’t really talked about and it wasn’t really something you did. You just kind of prayed and hoped it got better. And I always tell people you know keep an open mind God can use whatever He wants. He used Cumberland Heights in my life (where I stayed for 30 days) and I remember while I was there I asked: how many of us are going to stay sober and they said about 10%. I said: how do I be sure that I’m part of that 10%? They said: you have to listen to what we’re telling you, so I began to listened to even things I didn’t understand, even things that
maybe I didn’t even agree with, but I listened.
So when my 30 days were up and I went home the next step the next thing they told me to do was get a sponsor and I did. And they said we want you to do outpatient, which basically means you’re not gonna be in rehab but you’re going to go to different meetings and learn about addiction. So I did that for four weeks and then after that was over they I asked him what I should do next and they said well go to 90 meetings in 90 days 90 recovery meetings. And I thought, man, 90 meetings in 90 days, that’s insane! But I did it.I noticed that a lot of these meetings were in the basement of a church and all of us know what happens upstairs. We all know that there are people praying and worshiping, and a preacher is preaching and people come to the Altar and people get help. But, a lot of those people don’t know what’s happening in the basement on a Thursday night or a Wednesday night or Tuesday night a lot of times it’s those recovery meetings. I remember sitting down that day at the Word Music Building in on Music Row and saying, I just keep seeing this basement. And they kind of asked what I meant and I told them about my recovery story. I started telling them about those basements and what happened in those basements. And we wrote the basement.
“The Basement” is probably the most personal and vulnerable song that I’ve ever written. It’s kind of a picture of your lowest point your rock bottom. You’re literally in the basement of a church. And I can’t wait for people to one day see and realize that we all know what’s going on upstairs in the sanctuary but wait until you see what He’s been doing in the basement.
The story behind my new song The Basement. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTVVTVj1Um0.
